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what is it?
Yoga is a regime of mental and physical training that originated 5,000 years ago in India as part of a programme of spiritual development. 'Yoga' is derived from the Sanskrit word for 'union' (which shares the same language root as the English word 'yoke') and the practice is part of ayurveda, the traditional Indian healing system.
There are several forms of yoga but the one most commonly found in Western countries is hatha yoga, which means 'balance of mind and body'. Hatha yoga is mainly concerned with physical postures (asanas) , designed to stretch and strengthen muscles and stimulate nerve centres and internal organs, and breathing techniques (pranayama) that optimise the flow of prana, or 'life energy' (similar to the Chinese chi) which flows along invisible channels called nadis. Yoga exercises are said to revitalise the seven chakras (energy centres) that rise in a line from the solar plexus to the crown of the head.
Yoga became widespread in the UK in the 1960s, initially because it promoted flexibility and suppleness, but its mind-body interactions, mental clarification and spiritual qualities are increasingly understood and appreciated. Variations found in the West are Iyengar yoga and fast-moving Ashtanga or power yoga, especially popular among younger people who like an aerobic workout.
Yoga therapy uses specific postures to treat particular conditions, while yoga asanas are often a part of health care and heart disease programmes, especially in the US.
what it's supposed to do
As health promotion, yoga claims to tone the body, increase suppleness, deepen the breathing and develop the respiratory system, oxygenate the blood, massage the inner organs, strengthen the spine and induce relaxation.
Its benefits are increasingly recognised in relieving anxiety and stress-related conditions, fatigue, headaches and migraine, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, high blood pressure and circulatory problems, rheumatoid arthritis, digestive disorders, PMS, respiratory disorders, asthma, hay fever, bronchitis, sinusitis, colds and coughs, back problems and pain relief.
what happens
Almost anybody, young or old, agile or disabled, can benefit from yoga. It is best learned in classes that usually last 60-90 minutes, supervised by a teacher. Wear loose comfortable clothing and take something warm to cover yourself when you are still. The class begins with gentle warm up stretches before you are led through a series of asanas, some of which are performed on a mat on the floor. Never push yourself too far — yoga is not competitive. The mind is focused in a kind of active meditation on co-ordinating postures with inhalation and exhalation of the breath. The class finishes with complete physical and mental relaxation in the savasna ('corpse pose').
what's the evidence?
There are a growing number of studies into yoga's effectiveness in treating disease. Yoga breathing was shown to reduce the frequency of asthma attacks in a 1990 study in The Lancet and to restore energy more effectively than relaxation or visualisation in a 1993 Oxford University study. A 1994 study in the British Journal of Rheumatology found yoga therapy could benefit people with rheumatoid arthritis and a 1999 trial in the Journal of the American Medical Association found yoga more effective than wrist splints for carpal tunnel syndrome. Long-term yoga practice reduced symptoms of hyperventilation in a Lancet study in 2000. A few small trials suggest yoga may reduce the frequency and severity of epilepsy seizures, but a large-scale study is needed.
precautions
Go to the safety first section of 'before you start' for some general precautions to take into account when considering a complementary therapy.
- Find a yoga therapist if possible, and certainly inform the teacher if you suffer from neck or back problems, high blood pressure, circulatory problems, heart disease or disorders of the brain, ears or eyes, as some asanas are not advised in these conditions.
- Take care during pregnancy or menstruation as headstands and other asanas are not advisable. Consult your yoga teacher.
how to find a practitioner
If practising yoga for medical reasons, for example, to relieve asthma or epilepsy, consult a yoga therapist who will be trained to work with you one-to-one through the Yoga Biomedical Trust/ Yoga Therapy Centre.
Many yoga teachers run classes in local community halls and health centres. Yoga is an unregulated profession which means that anyone can call themselves a yoga teacher. Make sure they are members of a self-regulatory professional association such as the British Wheel of Yoga or the Iyengar Yoga Institute.
» help and info
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(July 2002)
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